Digital climate

Intro

Software impact

A tale of two transitions

Low-tech

Group work

Course wrap-up

Digital climate

Welcome!


Intro

Last time, we talked about artificial intelligence, and the rise of GPTs due to the increase in data and hardware.


Plan for the day


What is the environmental toll of a Netflix binge?


Software impact


A webpage is about 5,000 Kb.

An HD series episode is about 7,000,000 kb.


Streaming moved from adapting to bandwidth restriction, to bandwidth adapting to streaming's desires1.


In 2009, the IT sector surpasses air travel in CO2 emissions.


And it keeps growing.

Growth of ICT footprint
Growth of ICT footprint


Data centers' energy requirement could double by 2026, represent 7-12% of total U.S. domestic consumption2


Lifecycle breakdown of the emissions34:


Sourcing materials before the manufacturing
Sourcing materials before the manufacturing


Rubaya Coltan mines in north Congo
Rubaya Coltan mines in north Congo


Device manufacturing is mainly done in China (for now, highly coal-intensive, might change).


What the cloud looks like
What the cloud looks like


It needs water for:


Typical end-user behavior
Typical end-user behavior


Current e-waste management in Ghana
Current e-waste management in Ghana


Solutions to mitigate emissions include shifting to renewable energy, energy-efficient devices, circular economy principles, edge computing, green coding, and improved recycling practices. The ICT sector can significantly reduce its environmental impact and contribute to global sustainability efforts by adopting these solutions.

Beware of the rebound effect.


A tale of two transitions


Is the digital transition supporting the climate transition?


Measuring direct and indirect effects
Measuring direct and indirect effects

Consequences of e-commerce
Consequences of e-commerce


Changes of perception as we see the Earth through the digital56.


Historically, there have been no "transitions", energy and material have only accumulated7.


It is also necessary to look at which point of the system are we operating8.

Places to intervene in a system
Places to intervene in a system


Every year, there is one more iPhone
Every year, there is one more iPhone

Meanwhile, Apple used to force recyclers to shred Macbooks and iPhones, rather than re-use them9.


Repair and refurbishment should be supported, and smarter designs developed, to extend the lifetime of EEE. The easiest solution for all e-waste issues is still not to generate any e-waste in the first place.10


Low-tech


A change of design, and a change of mindset.


The way forward is not more efficient, but less greedy.


Direct, individual servers sharing solar resources: website and servers .

Sometimes, it's OK for things to turn off.


Caring for things makes them tangible and precious11, and depends on a right to repair12.


In general, a low-tech approach:


Group work


Next steps:


Course wrap-up


Take 3 minutes and write down something you remembered from this week.


Technology is a kind of magic, but it's still made by humans.


Algorithms are only as dangerous as the social contexts they support.


There are more than a few consequences.


Possibility is not intrinsic desirability.


Change your passwords, reject cookies and use Sci-Hub.


Thanks!